Gap Inc expands e-commerce reach
16 August 2010 10:45
Gap Inc is to expand its e-commerce reach from one to 65 countries by the year end, making Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta available for first time to customers outside the US. As the company continues to grow its global presence, Gap Inc has announced that it now offers international shipping on its e-commerce site to 55 countries, including Australia, Brazil and Mexico, and by year end will make online shopping available in up to 65 countries.
This marks an important international milestone for the company, because for the first time Old Navy will be available to customers outside North America and for the first time customers outside of the US can shop online and have items shipped from the Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Piperlime and Athleta e-commerce sites.
"Online is an efficient way to reach new international customers and test the waters for our brands," said Toby Lenk, president of Gap Inc Direct, the company's e-commerce division. "We've put together an aggressive programme to grow our e-commerce business from one country to 65 countries this year while continuing to make the shopping experience easier and more convenient. We believe that the technology has evolved to the point where we can meet international demand and deliver an outstanding experience."
Gap Inc. has put together a robust programme with different components to grow its e-commerce business. The company is building in-country fulfilment and launching dedicated e-commerce sites later this month for Canada and the United Kingdom, countries where it has an established store and customer base. In addition, Gap Inc will offer international shipping on its US e-commerce site because it offers an efficient and scalable way to reach a wide variety of countries.
As part of this plan, Gap Inc partnered with FiftyOne, an international e-commerce expert, to facilitate online sales to international customers. With the infrastructure and experience in place, FiftyOne provides accelerated access to a wide range of countries and the ability to process up to 43 different currencies.
The online ordering process has been made simple and easy. At checkout, international customers get a guaranteed order total upfront in their own currency, including international duty, tax and delivery costs, with a guaranteed exchange rate. This means no hidden costs or surprise fees showing up later after the product is shipped. FiftyOne ships the items to these customers from its facilities and provides an estimated delivery timeframe and global tracking number.
Earlier this year, Gap Inc announced that it had partnered with an e-commerce company, Shanghai Yi Shang Network Information Co Ltd in China to offer Chinese customers the opportunity to shop for Gap products online this autumn.
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